Wellbutrin Sexual side effects

[Danny80]

Hello, I'm a 30-year-old male. I was recently diagnosed with major depression and started taking generic Wellbutrin XL. Within a week of taking Wellbutrin 150 mg, I noticed changes in my libido, which continued to decrease. After two weeks I moved up to 300 mg, and my libido became almost nonexistent and I've been unable to have a complete erection. I've been on Wellbutrin for 4 weeks now and my sexual side effects have not subsided. I specifically chose to take Wellbutrin because of its reputation for rarely causing sexual side effects, because even while depressed I had a pretty healthy sex life. However, I recently read that studies have shown that, although less common than with SSRI antidepressants,  Wellbutrin can cause sexual side effects, such as decreased libido and impotence. I would like to know if anyone else on Wellbutrin had these symptoms? Will these symptoms subside? My depression is getting better, but these sexual problems are starting to take a toll on my self-esteem.

Any advice or help will be greatly appreciated.

[Hensley258]

I used to take Welbutrin many years ago at a pretty high dosage. It's probably the only antidepressant I have ever taken that did not cause me any sexual side effects, unfortunatly it also failed to help my depression so I switched to an SNRI.

I guess depending on the person that Welbutrin could cause Libido issues, but like you said they are rare.

There is a good chance that in time this side effect will pass or fade. I hope it fades for you simply because the SSRI and SNRI and even Tri-cyclic options are far worse in terms of sexual side effects.

You should read my post about a new type of SSRI that is now in Phase 3 trials. It is a very new and different type of antidepressant that has no reported sexual side effects.

Lets hope the FDA grants approval for it soon.

[LeftCoastChick]

Many folks don't realize that depression can squash you libido and if you have anxiety, double squash. If you have a psychiatrist, there are a multitude of drugs out there that work as well if not better then SSRI/SNRI's.  Lamictal being one(mood stabilizer), it's been around for 20+ yrs and well studied.  I'm not sure why folks don't look at these drugs, the new ones dont work as well as many think.